I’ve been railing against the avant garde music that has dominated this season’s programming to date. But this concert got it right, as the music was simply less known, rather than discordant in its modernity. Consequently, the audience was treated to both something new and something beautiful. How refreshing!
The concert began with Bach’s Overture to Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major, a piece unfamiliar to many ears yet quintessentially Bach in its sophisticated structure and sound.
Guest conductor Gemma New seemed at first not to be quite in control of the orchestra. The Bach reflected the fact, with the orchestra coming across less than crisp, the transitions a bit muddy, the music missing out on its energy and passion. Maestro New seemed stiff in her somewhat contrived movements, which I found distracting. Fortunately, the remainder of the program had her far more relaxed and on top of things.
Soprano Elissa Johnston was featured in Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Ms. Johnston’s singing and demeanor were delightful. Maestro New finally seemed at ease, and all was right in the Terrace Theater. The Barber’s melodic themes danced with joy, switching to darkness and back again. New achieved the dynamic range the piece required to soar. A brilliant success!
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major comprised the second half. At just under an hour in length, the piece isn’t one of Mahler’s most protracted, not by a longshot. Still, it may have been enough to give indecisive prospective patrons pause.
I thought New did an impressive job extracting every nuance from the complex piece, and every soulful expression from the orchestra.
The work has some curious quirks. The opening theme of sleigh bells and four flutes produce an idyllic tone to which the symphony thankfully returns over and over again. French horns have their say throughout, as well. Unfortunately, the horn section’s first chair seemed to have issues with intonation that night— a technical problem, perhaps?
Another peculiarity is the second movement’s “scordatura” section in which the concertmaster had another violin, tuned a full step higher than normal, waiting next to his chair. The consequent impact of the “off” tuning is intended to sound jarring to the ear and like a street fiddler.
The final movement once again brought Ms. Johnston back onstage to produce the singing narrative, accompanied by orchestra with the harp prominent. The effect is other-worldly, quiet and serene, allowing the symphony’s end to drift off.
The 4th symphony’s gentle theme might have prevented it from remaining consistently interesting. But with Mahler’s masterful composition, and New’s soulful direction, the evening remained free of any such danger.
All in all, it was a satisfying night at the symphony.
The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra performs its Classics Series concerts at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Tickets for Classics Series concerts range from $20 to $90. For tickets and concert information, for both Classics and Pops! Series concerts, go to lbso.org .
